JP2000249443A - Temperature controller for refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily alter cooling conditions for individual food materials, and secure an optimum cooling conditions for each food material. SOLUTION: A temperature controller 1 for a cooling chamber M is adapted such that heated food materials are rapidly cooled at a lower cooling temperature than a storage temperature, and chamber temperature Tm is detected with a chamber temperature sensor 2, and cooling conditions for the food materials are automatically set in response to the rate of a change in the detected chamber temperature Tm. In the temperature controller 1, there is provided a fine adjustment setting section for finely adjusting cooling conditions manually.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a temperature control device for a refrigerator which is suitable for use in rapidly cooling cooked foods at a cooling temperature lower than a storage temperature.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a cooling step of foodstuffs necessary in a cooking process, it is necessary to suppress the growth of various bacteria and to maintain freshness, taste, nutritional value and the like.
(80 ° C).

[0003] Conventionally, as a food cooling method of a cooling cabinet for cooling such a heat-treated high-temperature food, a food cooling method proposed by the present applicant in Japanese Patent No. 2668320 has already been known. In this food cooling method, in advance, a plurality of temperature lowering times between different internal temperatures set in the quenching period are detected under different conditions, and an optimum quenching time corresponding to each temperature lowering time is obtained, and the temperature lowering time and the quenching time are determined. Is obtained and stored. Then, when actually performing the rapid cooling, the temperature lowering time between the different internal temperatures is detected, and the corresponding rapid cooling time is obtained from the temperature lowering time and the conversion characteristics. Therefore, according to this method, the rapid cooling time (cooling condition) is automatically set according to the degree of change in the internal temperature. After the rapid cooling time has elapsed, the differential control is performed so that the temperature in the refrigerator becomes the preset cooling temperature.

[0004]

However, the above-mentioned method for cooling food in a refrigerator has the following problems to be improved.

[0005] First, since a fried fish or the like is usually cooled in accordance with the fish body portion, the relatively thin caudal fin portion tends to be overcooled, so that an optimal cooling state cannot be ensured depending on the type of food material.

Second, changing the cooling conditions is troublesome because it involves changes in the database and software, and it is unavoidable that it must be changed as a whole. Cannot be easily performed.

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve the problems existing in the prior art, and it is possible to easily change the cooling condition for each food material and to secure an optimum cooling state for each food material. An object of the present invention is to provide a temperature control device for a refrigerator.

[0008]

According to the present invention, the heat-treated foods F are rapidly cooled at a cooling temperature lower than the storage temperature, and a temperature Tm in the refrigerator is detected by a temperature sensor 2 in the refrigerator. Then, when configuring the temperature control device 1 of the cooling cabinet M that automatically sets the cooling conditions for the foodstuffs F in accordance with the detected degree of change in the internal temperature Tm, fine adjustment settings for finely adjusting the cooling conditions by manual operation. It is characterized in that a part 3 is provided. In this case, according to the preferred embodiment, the quenching time tc at the time of rapidly cooling the foodstuffs F can be applied as the cooling condition. Also, fine adjustment setting unit 3
The length of the quenching time tc can be increased or decreased by selecting a preset unit correction amount.

In this case, the heated food F is rapidly cooled, and the rapid cooling time tc (cooling condition) for the food F is automatically set in accordance with the degree of change in the internal temperature Tm. However, the rapid cooling time tc can be finely adjusted by manual operation of the fine adjustment setting unit 3. That is,
Normally, when food F is rapidly cooled, it is not always cooled in an optimum state depending on the type of food F. For example, in the case of the above-mentioned fried fish, the caudal fin portion may be supercooled even though the fish body portion is properly cooled. Therefore, the present invention is designed to allow the operator to check the food materials F after the rapid cooling is finished, and to slightly change the rapid cooling time tc based on his / her intuition and know-how. Thereby, the quenching time tc for each of the foodstuffs F ...
Can be easily changed, and an optimum cooling state for each of the food materials F is ensured.

[0010]

Next, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

First, a configuration of a cooling cabinet M including a temperature control device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 2, the cooling cabinet indicated by the symbol M has an opening / closing door 11 on the front of the heat insulating case 10 and a cooling chamber 12 on the front inside. Further, the cooling chamber 12 is provided with a plurality of trays 13 and the food F to be cooled is placed on the trays 13. On the other hand, a refrigerator 14 and a pair of upper and lower internal fans 15u, 15d
And a controller 16 having a computer function on the upper part of the heat insulating case 10.
The drive of the internal fans 15u and 15d is controlled by the controller 16. Further, an input side of the controller 16 is connected to the in-compartment temperature sensor 2 for detecting the in-compartment temperature, and the fine adjustment setting section 3 is connected according to the present invention. In this case, the controller 16, the internal temperature sensor 2, and the fine adjustment setting unit 3 constitute the temperature control device 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, for example, the fine-adjustment setting unit 3 displays the names of the foods F.
1b, 21c... And the foodstuff display portions 21a, 21b, 2
The correction amount setting sections 22a, 22b, and 2 having the correction amount display sections 23a and the correction amount setting keys 24a corresponding to 1c.
2c, and the correction amount setting units 22a, 22b, 22c,.
Are executed by executing keys 25a, 25b, 25c,. In this case, a specific name of the food F can be displayed on the food display 21a, for example, "fish fly" (in the case of the food display 21a), and can be changed by rewriting or replacement. Further, the correction amount setting units 22a can set the correction amount of the rapid cooling time tc for rapidly cooling the food displayed on the corresponding food display unit 21a. That is, a unit correction amount, for example, 1 [minute] is set in advance, and every time the correction amount setting key 24a is pressed once, -3 [minute], -2 [minute],
-1 [minute], 0 [minute], +1 [minute], +2 [minute], +3
The correction amount can be changed as in [minutes]. Thus, the set (selected) correction amount is displayed on the correction amount display unit 23.
a ... are displayed. The correction amount display section 23a of the embodiment is -1.
The case where [minute] is set is shown. Therefore, for example, when the correction amount is set to -1 [minute], the quenching time tcy shorter by 1 [minute] than the quenching time tc set as a standard is set, and the correction amount is set to +2 [minute]. ] Is set to 2 [minutes] than the quenching time tc set as a standard.
A long quenching time tcx is set.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 14 denotes a refrigerator connected to the output side of the controller 16, and 15u and 15d denote internal fans 15u and 15d connected to the output side of the controller 16 via the inverter 4.

Next, the method of use and operation of the temperature control device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 and the flowchart shown in FIG.

Now, it is assumed that the heat-treated food F, for example, a fish fry is stored in the cooling chamber 12 of the cooling cabinet M. In this case, the temperature of the foods F is in a high temperature state of about 60 to 80 ° C., and the foods F are placed on the trays 13. In the quenching mode, the refrigerator 14 is operated at full power and the internal fans 15u, 15d
Is operated, for example, at a wind speed of about 5 to 7 m / s at about −20 ° C.
By sending a small amount of cold air to the cooling chamber 12, the food materials F are rapidly cooled at a stretch (step S1). FIG. 4 shows changes in the internal temperature Tm and the core temperature (internal temperature) Td of the foodstuffs F at this time. Also, the internal fans 15u, 15d
Turns forward one, reverses the other, or activates one and stops the other, and reverses the blowing direction at a predetermined cycle. In FIG. 2, the forward direction of the air blowing direction is indicated by an arrow H1, and the reverse direction is indicated by an arrow H2.

The rapid cooling time tc in the rapid cooling mode
Is automatically set by the method disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2668320 already proposed by the present applicant. That is, in advance, a plurality of temperature lowering times between different internal temperatures set in the quenching period are detected under different conditions, and an optimum quenching time corresponding to each temperature lowering time is obtained, and the conversion characteristic between the temperature lowering time and the quenching time is determined. Find and memorize. When the quenching is performed in the quenching process mode, the different internal temperature T
The cooling down time between m... is detected, and the corresponding cooling down time tc is determined from the cooling down time and the conversion characteristic, so that the cooling down can be performed by the cooling down time tc. When the rapid cooling time tc has elapsed, the differential control is performed so that the internal temperature Tm becomes the preset cooling temperature. Thereby, the core temperature Td of the foodstuffs F reaches the set temperature (storage temperature) Ts at the time te as shown in FIG. 4, and thereafter, the core temperature Td is substantially maintained at the set temperature Ts.

On the other hand, the core temperature Td of the foodstuffs F...
Is reached, the target cooling process is terminated. Therefore, an alarm (not shown) is activated at time te to notify the end of cooling. As a result, the worker can open the opening / closing door 11 and take out the foodstuffs F... From the cooling cabinet M, so that the foodstuffs F... Taken out are quickly packed (packed in a vacuum pack) (step S2).

At this time, it is checked whether or not the foods F ... taken out of the cooling cabinet M are properly cooled. That is, when rapid cooling is performed on the food materials F..., Depending on the type of the food materials F. In particular, in the fried fish described in the examples, the caudal fin portion may be overcooled even though the fish body portion is properly cooled. In this case, the quenching time tc may be slightly lengthened, but such determination often depends on the intuition and know-how of the operator.

Therefore, the operator is required to finish the food F after the rapid cooling.
Are visually checked (step S3). Then, when the caudal fin portion is overcooled and the quenching time tc is desired to be slightly shorter than the current state, the fine adjustment setting unit 3 sets the quenching time tc to be slightly shorter (step S4). In this case, first, the unused portion of the food display portion 21a
For example, "fish fry" is written as the name of the foodstuff. Further, the correction amount is set by pressing the corresponding correction amount setting key 24a a predetermined number of times (steps S5 and S5).
6). The present embodiment shows a case where -1 [minute] is set, and the correction amount -1 is displayed on the correction amount display section 23a, and the set value is stored.

Therefore, next time, the same ingredients, that is,
In the case of performing rapid cooling of the fish fry, the execution key 25a corresponding to the food display portion 21a may be pressed, whereby the quenching time tcy (see FIG. 4) which is shorter than the standard quenching time tc by one minute. ) Is set. As a result,
The core temperature Td of the food F changes like Tdy shown in FIG. 4, and reaches the set temperature Ts over a longer time than in the case of the quenching time tc set as a standard. The time at this time is te
Indicated by y. Thus, by slightly shortening the quenching time tc, the core temperature Tdy of the foodstuff F more slowly reaches the set temperature (storage temperature) Ts, so that it is possible to finely adjust the supercooling.

On the other hand, the same setting can be made in a case where insufficient cooling occurs due to the type of the food material F and the rapid cooling time tc is desired to be slightly longer than the current state. In this case, the correction amount setting key 24a
By operating..., The correction amount may be set on the + side (steps S7, S8, S9). As a result, the core temperature Td of the food material F changes like Tdx shown in FIG. 4 and reaches the set temperature Ts in a shorter time than in the case of the quenching time tc set as a standard. The time at this time is indicated by tex. As described above, by slightly increasing the quenching time tc, the core temperature Tdx of the foodstuff F reaches the set temperature Ts more steeply, so that it is possible to perform fine adjustment for insufficient cooling.

Although the correction amount is set according to the type of food (qualitative factor), it is needless to say that other factors may be added. For example, the amount of food (quantitative factor) may be taken into consideration. In this case, the food display section 21a may display "50 shrimp fries" or the like.

The fine adjustment setting section 3 in the embodiment of FIG. 1 is configured to set a correction amount by operating the correction amount setting keys 24a... And store the set correction amount. When the operator records the correction amount for the food materials F... On a dedicated recording paper or the like and performs rapid cooling, for example, FIG.
By operating the correction dial 30 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the fine adjustment setting unit 3 of the present invention includes such means.

As described above, according to the temperature control device 1 according to the present embodiment, the heated food F is rapidly cooled at a cooling temperature lower than the storage temperature, and the internal temperature sensor 2 controls the internal temperature. Tm is detected and the detected internal temperature Tm
In addition to being able to automatically set the cooling conditions for the foodstuffs F... According to the degree of change, the fine adjustment setting unit 3 is provided to finely adjust the rapid cooling time tc for the foodstuffs F.. , It is easy to change the quenching time tc for each of the foodstuffs F..., And an optimal cooling state for each of the foodstuffs F..

The embodiment has been described in detail above.
The present invention is not limited to such an embodiment,
The detailed configuration, technique, numerical values, and the like can be arbitrarily changed, added, or deleted without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, the fine adjustment setting unit 3 exemplifies the case where the correction is performed based on the unit correction amount. Alternatively, the fine adjustment setting unit 3 may select large, medium, or small, or may continuously correct the length of the rapid cooling time tc. Further, the present invention can be applied to fine adjustment of other cooling conditions such as temperature.

[0027]

As described above, the temperature control device according to the present invention rapidly cools the heat-treated food at a cooling temperature lower than the storage temperature, and detects the temperature in the refrigerator by the temperature sensor in the refrigerator. In addition to being able to automatically set the cooling conditions for foodstuffs according to the degree of change in the temperature in the refrigerator, and by providing a fine adjustment setting unit, the cooling conditions can be finely adjusted manually, so that the cooling conditions for individual foodstuffs can be adjusted. Is easily changed, and a remarkable effect that an optimum cooling state can be secured for each food material can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a control system including a temperature control device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an internal structural diagram of a cooler provided with the temperature control device;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a method of using the temperature control device,

FIG. 4 is a temperature characteristic diagram of each part when the temperature control device is used.

FIG. 5 is an external view showing a modification example of a fine adjustment setting unit in the temperature control device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Temperature control device 2 Internal temperature sensor 3 Fine adjustment setting part F ... Food M Cooling room Tm Internal temperature tc Rapid cooling time

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Yoshiyuki Miyashita 246 Koyuki, Sazaka, Suzaka-shi, Nagano F-term (reference) in Orion Machinery Co., Ltd. 3L045 AA02 BA04 CA05 DA02 EA01 GA07 HA01 LA10 LA11 LA12 MA02 NA19 PA01 PA02 PA03 PA04

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A foodstuff that has been subjected to heat treatment is rapidly cooled at a cooling temperature lower than a storage temperature, a temperature inside the refrigerator is detected by a temperature sensor inside the refrigerator, and the temperature of the foodstuff is changed according to the detected degree of change in the temperature inside the refrigerator. A temperature control device for a refrigerator that automatically sets a cooling condition, wherein a fine adjustment setting unit that finely adjusts the cooling condition by a manual operation is provided. 2. The cooling condition according to claim 1, wherein the cooling condition is a rapid cooling time when the food is rapidly cooled.
The temperature control device for a refrigerator described in the above. 3. The temperature control device according to claim 2, wherein the fine adjustment setting section increases or decreases the length of the rapid cooling time by selecting a preset unit correction amount.